Who am I? Well, isn’t that a question of epic proportions?! SO, here are some facts and tidbits that I think you might want to know about me – I get it, it’s sweet to have context for someone’s lens…

I’m born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA. Pittsburgh is the place where the East meets the Midwest and the Midwest meets Appalachia, and in the suburbs everyone still wears Vineyard Vines and the men drive leased M3s. If you have never met someone from Pittsburgh, there are a few characteristic traits that are distinct and widespread – Pittsburghers think that Steelers paraphernalia is appropriate inner-home décor. They are not so crazy about using the infinitive – the dishes need done, the car needs washed, etc. In Pittsburgh it is very normal for you and your 90 year old grandfather to have the same Alma Matter.

I grew up with Subaru driving parents in a high-tax bracket Jewish neighborhood, that is considered inner-city but is completely white-bred and residential. My childhood consisted of private schools, trips to NYC, Hebrew school, a lot of lap swimming, quick flights to Colorado to downhill ski in every spare moment, Quaker summer camp, and good middle eastern cuisine.

I started doing yoga when it was not cool to wear stretchy pants and when all of my yoga friends were older than my mom, not as old as my grandparents, with loads of props, ex-hippies, and no sweating.

My early and mid twenties were spent all over New England – in the Berkshires, in the Adirondacks, in the VT/NH mountains, on every stretch of whitewater from Albany to Ottawa, doing dozens of WODs in CrossFit boxes throughout central CT, in pants suits in sales meeting in RI and Boston, and nights and nights and dollars and dollars spent in NYC.

For my late 20s I have been mostly in Pittsburgh, with a 6 month stint in Aspen, CO. I’ve taught hundreds of yoga classes, run yoga workshops, trainings, and programs, done some branding consulting, some CEO assisting, and a lot of trying to find what feels good and what is next. I spent about 60 hours a week over the last 4 years running a lululemon store, and facilitating trainings, programs, events that benefitted my P&L while, idealistically, positively impacting the career path of 50+ millennials.

When I left lululemon, I began marketing myself to my friends and my contacts as a facilitator of basically anything-someone-willing-to-hire me wanted to have facilitated. I quickly learned that I, like the billion-dollar brands out there have right-fully established, needed to know why I was hustling for what I was hustling for, or I was about to be the road to just being a hustler and an opportunist.

So, for my one wild and precious life - my deepest wish is that all people take the time to discover who they are, each human, unique, gifted and with an attribute that is a contribution to others and the planet. If we don't expose to ourselves who we are, if we fail to put language to who we are, than I think we may just be robbing the world of gold - and, everyone knows that the value of gold is never on the decline.

I am a 500 RYT, 200 E-RYT and a certified 500 hour Baptiste Yoga teacher-leader. I am a licensed to lead a body of leadership developement work now-known as lightyear leadership, formerly known as igolu communication. I use yoga and lightyear leadership principles to train humans, teams, and organizations in communication, leadership, community, and customer service.